With the Comprehensive Spending Review due on Wednesday, this is set to be a contentious week in British politics. So, in the interests of harmony, I thought I'd start the week off with something you're unlikely to see much off this week –a quote from a cabinet minister that we can pretty much all get on board with:

"Tolerance and freedom of expression are important British values, but this does not mean that the likes of Church of Scientology deserve favoured tax treatment over and above other business premises. The Church of Scientology is not a registered charity, since the Charity Commission has ruled that it does not provide a public benefit. Nor are its premises a recognised place of worship. Councils may award charitable relief. They should take into consideration the Charity Commission's rulings when weighing up whether to do so. I do not believe the majority of the public would want their own council to be giving special tax breaks to such a controversial organisation."

That's communities secretary Eric Pickles telling Saturday's Guardian why he thinks local councils (here's looking at you, City of London and Westminster) should stop giving tax breaks to the Church of Scientology.

With the Comprehensive Spending Review due on Wednesday, this is set to be a contentious week in British politics. So, in the interests of harmony, I thought I'd start the week off with something you're unlikely to see much off this week –a quote from a cabinet minister that we can pretty much all get on board with:

"Tolerance and freedom of expression are important British values, but this does not mean that the likes of Church of Scientology deserve favoured tax treatment over and above other business premises. The Church of Scientology is not a registered charity, since the Charity Commission has ruled that it does not provide a public benefit. Nor are its premises a recognised place of worship. Councils may award charitable relief. They should take into consideration the Charity Commission's rulings when weighing up whether to do so. I do not believe the majority of the public would want their own council to be giving special tax breaks to such a controversial organisation."

That's communities secretary Eric Pickles telling Saturday's Guardian why he thinks local councils (here's looking at you, City of London and Westminster) should stop giving tax breaks to the Church of Scientology.